East Bay Ray defends a punk-rock legacy "Every artist is a business." If you're a fan of the legendary and incendiary punk band Dead Kennedys, you'd probably be dismayed to hear those words exit the lips of guitarist and band co-founder Ray Pepperell, a/k/a East Bay Ray.

On cracking Rock of Ages There once was a time when the anthemic earnestness of '80s hard rock was considered giggle-worthy, and keeping a straight face while listening to self-helpy bombast ballads like "Don't Stop Believin' " and "Here I Go Again" was possible only with several veneers of snarky irony.

The industry is dead, but the music lives on Okay, so the album is dead, the music industry is dead, rock is dead, and the Library of Alexandria you have stored on your C drive has killed 150 years of recorded music culture.

Shellackings The Steve Albini of today is a relatively jovial figure: hard-working, straight-talking, practical — but with the contented air of one who's been able to find his own way in a tricky field.

Pure audiogasm "It seems, in a sense, like we can get away with murder." I'm talking on the phone with Steve Albini as he relaxes during a rare respite from his engineering duties at the studio he owns and operates, Chicago's Electrical Audio, and he's describing how things operate with Shellac.

The Raw Power of the Stooges’ James Williamson It’s hard to fathom now, when their music has achieved such godhead status, but in 1971, Ann Arbor’s legendary Stooges had dissolved in ignominy, dropped by Elektra after the seemingly indulgent commercial failure that was 1970’s howling Fun House .

Three more that fans want raw Raw Power is viewed by many as one of the all-time great rock albums — but its hyper-trebly, David Bowie–mixed brittleness has been almost as infamous as the musical mayhem on the wax.

Capitol (2010) Contrary to common perception, there are only two genres of popular music: music written and performed by teenagers, and music written and performed by people trying to remember what being a teenager was like.

No Quarter Records (2010) Most bands go through a period of refinement, where the loose-jamming phase gives way to taut compaction. But what if a band's loose jamming is also tight and dynamic — does that mean that said band can stay in the shed forever?

On wanting the song, not just the sound Making dance music that's fun is serious business — especially if you make it your life's work, like Andy Butler, main man/svengali behind Hercules and Love Affair.